A man charged in the shooting deaths of two men and the attempted murder of another in Halifax last year made his first court appearance Monday morning.

Sheriffs took extra security precautions as they led Tyrell Peter Dechamp in and out of Halifax provincial court.

Police say Dechamp was on a statutory release from prison when he allegedly shot and killed Tyler Richards in April 2016.

Police responded to a home in the 6900 block of Cook Avenue before 8 p.m. on April 17, 2016. They found the body of 29-year-old Richards inside the home. His death was later ruled a homicide.

Two days later, on April 19, 2016, police responded to reports of shots fired in the 2000 block of Gottingen Street before 11 p.m.

When officers arrived, they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds inside a vehicle.

Naricho Clayton was pronounced dead at the scene. The 23-year-old Dartmouth man’s death was ruled a homicide.

A 31-year-old man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but he survived.

Dechamp was arrested Friday at the Atlantic Institution correctional facility in Renous, N.B. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

“We are alleging that there is some planning and deliberation,” said Crown attorney Rick Woodburn. “That means it is not just some heat-of-the-moment style of murder.”

Friends and families of the victims were present during Monday’s hearing.

“It's more of a relief and it gives them a chance to move on. It's just getting through this process now is going to be hard for the families,” says Elaine Williams, Tyler Richards’ friend.

Dechamp is also facing a charge of being unlawfully at large in connection with a Canada-wide arrest warrant that was issued on April 25, 2016.

The Parole Board of Canada states Dechamp was just finishing a sentence for second-degree murder and aggravated assault at the Atlantic Institution and had been eligible for release Monday.

Police searched a Darmouth pond in November for evidence in Tyler Richards' case. Richards was a former basketball star and played professionally for the Halifax Rainmen. He's been memorialized in his community of Mulgrave Park.

“If we show that we are stronger than that and show that Tyler was loved and taken from us in the wrong manner, it's just about respecting his family and being there together to support our community and his family,” says Williams.

Police aren't ruling out additional suspects. Dechamp will remain in custody until his next court appearance Jan. 10.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kelland Sundahl.